SONG #31: Jars of Clay - Liquid

Inducted on January 14, 2015

One thing that's lacking so far in the Hall of Fame are a number of songs from when I almost singularly focused on listening to Christian Music. I'm sure they will be added more as we move along, but I'd say between 1994-98 I was obsessed with Christian music and assembled quite a collection of music. Most of it has slowly faded away over time, but there are some songs that have been a huge part of my life.

I remember hearing a lot of "buzz" about this young new band called Jars of Clay. They were the next big thing, and when their first major label album was released, they didn't disappoint. While their first single off of the album, and probably most popular song, was "Flood" was considered their best, "Liquid" is by far my favorite song from that first album. It's the first track off the album, and it shows. It has a long introduction that starts with a humming noise, rolls into a beautiful guitar/violin pairing, and ends up merging with a strong "yeah" on top of a programmed drum beat. One of my favorite openings of any song on this list so far.

From there, we hear a beautiful lyric about Jesus on the cross and ends with the conclusion that "He didn't die for nothing". Double negative aside, this is a powerful song that brings back feelings of being a fifteen-ish year old kid who was exploring his life and his faith. It was so much fun having a soundtrack that was fresh and was even being talked about outside of Christian circles. I liked my dad's music but - sorry dad - there was only so much of Steve Green, Sandi Patty, and Ray Boltz that a teenager could take (look them up on Spotify some time). Dc Talk, The Newsboys, and Jars of Clay helped me find my own musical identity in terms of Christian music.

But back to this song... It was fresh, it had an interesting blend of sounds, and the lyrics were simple and spot on. The rest of the album was hit or miss.. But this song... It spoke volumes,

Other elements I like/d: 

The chanting at the beginning of the song.. Fantastic.

"This is the one thing.. The one thing that I know"

This song also triggers a random memory of going to a friends church and hanging out in their youth room listening to this album while waiting to go to a Rebecca st. James concert. It was a typical 90's church kid thing to do.